A designed supramolecular protein assembly with in vivo enzymatic activity

Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 346 (6216) ◽  
pp. 1525-1528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woon Ju Song ◽  
F. Akif Tezcan

The generation of new enzymatic activities has mainly relied on repurposing the interiors of preexisting protein folds because of the challenge in designing functional, three-dimensional protein structures from first principles. Here we report an artificial metallo-β-lactamase, constructed via the self-assembly of a structurally and functionally unrelated, monomeric redox protein into a tetrameric assembly that possesses catalytic zinc sites in its interfaces. The designed metallo-β-lactamase is functional in the Escherichia coli periplasm and enables the bacteria to survive treatment with ampicillin. In vivo screening of libraries has yielded a variant that displays a catalytic proficiency [(kcat/Km)/kuncat] for ampicillin hydrolysis of 2.3 × 106 and features the emergence of a highly mobile loop near the active site, a key component of natural β-lactamases to enable substrate interactions.

Author(s):  
D. Reis ◽  
B. Vian ◽  
J. C. Roland

Wall morphogenesis in higher plants is a problem still open to controversy. Until now the possibility of a transmembrane control and the involvement of microtubules were mostly envisaged. Self-assembly processes have been observed in the case of walls of Chlamydomonas and bacteria. Spontaneous gelling interactions between xanthan and galactomannan from Ceratonia have been analyzed very recently. The present work provides indications that some processes of spontaneous aggregation could occur in higher plants during the formation and expansion of cell wall.Observations were performed on hypocotyl of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) for which growth characteristics and wall composition have been previously defined.In situ, the walls of actively growing cells (primary walls) show an ordered three-dimensional organization (fig. 1). The wall is typically polylamellate with multifibrillar layers alternately transverse and longitudinal. Between these layers intermediate strata exist in which the orientation of microfibrils progressively rotates. Thus a progressive change in the morphogenetic activity occurs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (26) ◽  
pp. 14667-14675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingchao Zhang ◽  
Rui Guo ◽  
Ke Chen ◽  
Yiliang Wang ◽  
Jiali Niu ◽  
...  

Many natural materials possess built-in structural variation, endowing them with superior performance. However, it is challenging to realize programmable structural variation in self-assembled synthetic materials since self-assembly processes usually generate uniform and ordered structures. Here, we report the formation of asymmetric microribbons composed of directionally self-assembled two-dimensional nanoflakes in a polymeric matrix during three-dimensional direct-ink printing. The printed ribbons with embedded structural variations show site-specific variance in their mechanical properties. Remarkably, the ribbons can spontaneously transform into ultrastretchable springs with controllable helical architecture upon stimulation. Such springs also exhibit superior nanoscale transport behavior as nanofluidic ionic conductors under even ultralarge tensile strains (>1,000%). Furthermore, to show possible real-world uses of such materials, we demonstrate in vivo neural recording and stimulation using such springs in a bullfrog animal model. Thus, such springs can be used as neural electrodes compatible with soft and dynamic biological tissues.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (12) ◽  
pp. 4456-4464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Vidal-Ingigliardi ◽  
Shawn Lewenza ◽  
Nienke Buddelmeijer

ABSTRACT Apolipoprotein N-acyl transferase (Lnt) is an essential membrane-bound protein involved in lipid modification of all lipoproteins in gram-negative bacteria. Essential residues in Lnt of Escherichia coli were identified by using site-directed mutagenesis and an in vivo complementation assay. Based on sequence conservation and known protein structures, we predict a model for Lnt, which is a member of the CN hydrolase family. Besides the potential catalytic triad E267-K335-C387, four residues that directly affect the modification of Braun's lipoprotein Lpp are absolutely required for Lnt function. Residues Y388 and E389 are part of the hydrophobic pocket that constitutes the active site. Residues W237 and E343 are located on two flexible arms that face away from the active site and are expected to open and close upon the binding and release of phospholipid and/or apolipoprotein. Substitutions causing temperature-dependent effects were located at different positions in the structural model. These mutants were not affected in protein stability. Lnt proteins from other proteobacteria, but not from actinomycetes, were functional in vivo, and the essential residues identified in Lnt of E. coli are conserved in these proteins.


1999 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_2) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Colman

Abstract The influenza glycoprotein, neuraminidase, destroys sialic acid–containing receptors on the surface of infected cells and on progeny virions. This activity facilitates the elution of newly budded virus from the infected cell surface and thus contributes to the viral burden in the host. On the basis of the three–dimensional structure of neuraminidase and the structure of the enzyme—product complex, novel analogues of the product (sialic acid, Neu5Ac) were designed and were shown to be potent inhibitors of neuraminidase in vitro and in vivo. Zanamivir (4–guanidino–Neu5Ac2en) is one of the most potent of the sialic acid analogues described to date. It is broadly inhibitory of all type A and B neuraminidases, probably because one of its design features was the requirement that it should interact only with strain–invariant amino acids inside the active site of the enzyme. Inhibition of neuraminidase translates into antiviral activity in tissue culture, in animal models of influenza and in both experimental and naturally acquired influenza in humans. Zanamivir is a minimal modification of the natural ligand (Neu5Ac) of the enzyme. This feature is expected to minimize the viability of drug–resistant virus that might arise through mutations in the enzyme active site. Studies to date of drug–resistant variants selected in tissue culture confirm this expectation. To deliver zanamivir directly to the lungs of patients the agent has been formulated for inhalation using a modified Diskhaler, which ensures high local concentrations and maximizes inhibition of viral neuraminidase.


2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (18) ◽  
pp. 2829-2831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Speight ◽  
Fred E. Hancock ◽  
Chris Winkel ◽  
Hanamanthsa S. Bevinakatti ◽  
Manish Sarkar ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Kumar ◽  
Sharmistha Sinha

Bacterial microcompartments are substrate specific metabolic modules that are conditionally expressed in certain bacterial species. These all protein structures have size in the range of 100-150 nm and are formed by the self-assembly of thousands of protein subunits, all encoded by genes belonging to a single operon. The operon contains genes that encode for both enzymes and shell proteins. The shell proteins self-assemble to form the outer coat of the compartment and enzymes are encapsulated within. A perplexing question in MCP biology is to understand the mechanism which governs the formation of these small yet complex assemblages of proteins. In this work we use 1,2-propanediol utilization microcompartments (PduMCP) as a paradigm to identify the factors that drive the self-assembly of MCP proteins. We find that a major shell protein PduBB tend to self-assemble under macromolecular crowded environment and suitable ionic strength. Microscopic visualization and biophysical studies reveal phase separation to be the principle mechanism behind the self-association of shell protein in the presence of salts and macromolecular crowding. The shell protein PduBB interacts with the enzyme diol-dehydratase PduCDE and co-assemble into phase separated liquid droplets. The co-assembly of PduCDE and PduBB results in the enhancement of catalytic activity of the enzyme. A combination of spectroscopic and biochemical techniques shows the relevance of divalent cation Mg2+ in providing stability to intact PduMCP in vivo. Together our results suggest a combination of protein-protein interactions and phase separation guiding the self-assembly of Pdu shell protein and enzyme in solution phase.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörn M. Schmiedel ◽  
Ben Lehner

SummaryDetermining the three dimensional structures of macromolecules is a major goal of biological research because of the close relationship between structure and function. Structure determination usually relies on physical techniques including x-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and cryo-electron microscopy. Here we present a method that allows the high-resolution three-dimensional structure of a biological macromolecule to be determined only from measurements of the activity of mutant variants of the molecule. This genetic approach to structure determination relies on the quantification of genetic interactions (epistasis) between mutations and the discrimination of direct from indirect interactions. This provides a new experimental strategy for structure determination, with the potential to reveal functional and in vivo structural conformations at low cost and high throughput.


Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 452
Author(s):  
Yuya Miyazawa ◽  
Akib Bin Rahman ◽  
Yutaka Saga ◽  
Hiroki Imafuku ◽  
Yosuke Hisamatsu ◽  
...  

We previously reported on the preparation of supramolecular complexes by the 2:2:2 assembly of a dinuclear Zn2+-cyclen (cyclen = 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) complex having a 2,2′-bipyridyl linker equipped with 0~2 long alkyl chains (Zn2L1~Zn2L3), 5,5-diethylbarbituric acid (Bar) derivatives, and a copper(II) ion (Cu2+) in aqueous solution and two-phase solvent systems and their phosphatase activities for the hydrolysis of mono(4-nitrophenyl) phosphate (MNP). These supermolecules contain Cu2(μ-OH)2 core that mimics the active site of alkaline phosphatase (AP), and one of the ethyl groups of the barbital moiety is located in close proximity to the Cu2(μ-OH)2 core. The generally accepted knowledge that the amino acids around the metal center in the active site of AP play important roles in its hydrolytic activity inspired us to modify the side chain of Bar with various functional groups in an attempt to mimic the active site of AP in the artificial system, especially in two-phase solvent system. In this paper, we report on the design and synthesis of new supramolecular complexes that are prepared by the combined use of bis(Zn2+-cyclen) complexes (Zn2L1, Zn2L2, and Zn2L3), Cu2+, and Bar derivatives containing amino acid residues. We present successful formation of these artificial AP mimics with respect to the kinetics of the MNP hydrolysis obeying Michaelis–Menten scheme in aqueous solution and a two-phase solvent system and to the mode of the product inhibition by inorganic phosphate.


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